Going to greater heights
by OrganicGrass
Summary: Nico is scared of heights and what does the hot blonde stranger do to comfort him on the roller coaster? Where will their relationship go from there? Read to find out! -Admin Nekonii
1. Up we go

"Brother! Come on, let's sit that!" Hazel cheered as she dragged Frank along with her towards the roller coaster ride: Kiss Of Death.

"Uh-Sure..."

Nico was out at an amusement park with his half-sister, Hazel, and her boyfriend Frank. As she'd moved in with her boyfriend at his house in Canada, she rarely visited Nico, though they did keep in close touch frequently. Taking advantage of the summer holidays, they had flown over to America to visit him. Not having seen his sister for about 9 months, Nico was determined to spend the most of his free time with her, even if it meant third wheeling on their date.

It was kinda awkward, in more ways than one as they had chosen his workplace as their date spot. And on his off day too. Already had they gone on 5 roller coaster rides, each one more terrifying than the last. Poor Frank was starting to look a little green and even Nico himself felt a little queasy. Only Hazel remained unaffected. How she managed it, the two boys had no idea.

As they got in line for the next roller coaster ride, Nico stared up at the "Kiss of Death". True to its name, it had 5 inversions and was higher than 8 stories. He wondered how he and Frank were going to pull this one off. Hazel was still chattering on about how excited she was and he knew that neither of them had the heart to refuse her this ride and risk wiping away that smile on her face. Well, here's to us, he thought as it reached their turn.

The seats came in pairs, so it was of no question that Hazel sat together with her boyfriend and Nico snagged the seat behind them. Strapping himself to the seat properly(he wouldn't want to take any risks for THIS ride), he looked up, only to be met with the sight of the most stunning man ever known to mankind(or to him anyways) taking the seat next to him.

His surfer body, slightly tousled golden hair, tanned skin and a small splay of freckles across his nose made him look both hot and adorable at the same time. He happened to look up and his azure eyes resembling the blue sky met Nico's chocolate brown ones.

"Hey there Sunshine," he grinned and flashed a smile, which nearly blinded Nico. He had a smooth voice with a hint of a southern drawl in it, which Nico found incredibly sexy. If his sexuality were to be represented by a straight arrow, it would have bent right over and snapped straight(pun unintended) into half at this point.

He suddenly realized that he was still gaping at the man and probably looked like an idiot. He scowled and quickly whipped his head to face the other side and muttered a small,"h-hey."

Wait...

Did Mr Hot Guy just call him...

"Sunshine?! Wouldn't that be more fitting for you?"

He smirked." Whatever, Death Boy."

"Don't call me DEATH BOY either, Sunshine!"

"Make me." Mr Hot Guy aka Sunshine stuck out his tongue at Nico and winked. Was he _trying_ to flirt with him? Before he could open his mouth to retort, the ride started with a sudden jolt, shutting him up.

As the carriages started to ascend, Nico gripped the seat a little more tightly like he had done with the past few rides. He had never been good with heights, not since...

"Hey, you alright?" His brooding thoughts were interrupted by Sunshine whose brows were furrowed at him in concern. It was really cute actually and made him want to poke him right between the forehead... ARGH CALM DOWN HORMONES, he scolded them. Look what heights did to him.

"Hmm...Your pupils are dilated, you look paler than your normal skin tone which, as I last checked, was already as white as a sheet, you're breaking out in sweat even though the weather is freezing, and with the way you're gripping the seat, I wouldn't be surprised if there were claw marks on it by the end of the ride. My diagnosis would be that you are scared of heights. Am I right?" His pretty blue eyes held sincere concern that made Nico want to trust in him. Slowly, he gave a small nod.

What happened next made Nico's breath hitch. Sunshine pried his hands loose from his seat gently and took hold of one of them. Blood rushed to his face. Looking at his small palm inside of his big and warm one, he wasn't sure if the sudden rise in his breathing was due to his fear of heights or... this.

"W-what a-are you d-d-doing?!" Nico exclaimed, wrenching his hands away. Instantly, he regretted it. One, he instantly longed back for the warmth of his hands(in which he told himself to snap out of it). Two, the action caused him to lean too far left, where he was instantly met with the sight of the ground, far far away down below...

The next moment, he was scrambling as fast as possible to latch on to the nearest object on his right which was...

Oh.

Sunshine's arm.

 _Great job Nico!_ His thoughts applauded.

 _Shut up!_ He told them.

"Uh-ah-erm..." What was he gonna do now?

"Well, I was hoping that holding your hand would reassure you but it seems that I no longer need to take the initiative~" Sunshine sported a shit-eating grin on his face. Nico had the sudden urge to smack that look off his face but unfortunately, both his arms were a little preoccupied.

Then, out of the blue,"Let's make small talk, it'll help, Doctor's Orders."

He snorted before he could stop himself. "What's with the doctor thing?"

"Oh, Im a pre-med student." Future doctor, smart and handsome. Nico was impressed by his preferences of guys.

"You know, if you don't tell me your name, Im gonna have to call you Mr Ho- I mean, Sunshine forever."

"The name's Will, Will Solace. Pleasure to meet ya!What's yours, Death boy?" Sunshine, now Will, leaned forward, his blue eyes gleaming in curiosity. Nico's heart hammered in his chest at their close proximity.

"...Not telling."

"Hey! You're no fun," Will pouted, adorably mumbling about death boys who were being unfair. Momentarily forgetting about the height, Nico stared at the cute ball of sunshine in front of him.

"...-so who are you here with today?"  
Nico was startled out of his daze."W-what? O-oh. I came here with my half-sister and her boyfriend. I don't see her often so I want to spend as much time as possible with them,"he explained, gesturing towards the loving couple in front of them, hoping that much would explain why he, who has a phobia of heights was on a very tall roller coaster.

Fortunately, Will seemed to get it.  
He chuckled. "So you're third wheeling too? I came here with my friends, Cecil and Lou Ellen." He pointed towards a snoggineg couple behind them. Nico blushed and averted his eyes.

They were nearing the summit. He suddenly realized how high up they were and his grip on Will got just a tiny wee bit tighter. Will felt it anyway.

"Hey, hey... Look at me." He turned his head frantically to face Will to avoid looking at the height. "It'll be fine, alright? I'll sit this through with you." He gave a reassuring grin and slid his hand up, intertwining his fingers with Nico'. He swore his heart stopped beating for a moment.

They reached the top. He took a deep breath.

"Oka-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"


	2. The Angel's story

"Oka-AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

So much for his pride. Moments before, Nico had considered trying to maintain his cool and calm while facing his worst fear, next to the hot chunk of a man named Will Solace.

The moment they dropped, he thought, _Nah, screw it._

They fell through the air. The wind whooshed up wildly, smacking them right in their faces. Nico's heart went right up to his throat. He felt as though his organs were floating in midair while the rest of his body plummeted downwards...

Just like that day.

The memory engulfed him like a black tidal wave before he could stop it. He struggled and tried to call out for help but his mouth was already torn apart in a silent scream. It was of no use anyways. _No one can hear me and no one ever will..._ was his last bitter thought before he let himself be swallowed down the darkest abyss of his memories.

 _*flashback_

 _He was 10, and was on the plane from Venice, Italy to America. He was going there with his sister and mother to visit with his father, Hades._

 _Hades had first met his mother, Maria di Angelo, in Italy on one of his long business trips there. It had been love at first sight and dates soon turned into a proposal which turned into a wedding ceremony. It wasn't long before his sister, Bianca di Angelo was conceived from this marriage. A few years later and he, Nico di Angelo was born too. They lived together for a few happy years. Unfortunately, all good things were to come to an end. Hades had been permanently deployed back to work in America where he were to take charge of an Amusement Park._

 _Before he left, he asked Maria to come with him but she refused, saying that Italy was their homeland. Hence, Hades supported them from far away by mailing them money every month. Like this, Nico and Bianca grew up without a father being there for them physically. However, they were content with their lives._

 _Everything changed with the plane tickets that were mailed to them. They were from Hades, telling them to come visit him in America. Nothing could possibly go wrong with one visit, could it?_

 _It could._

 _His 10 year old self remembered everything clearly. The jolting of the plane as the wing caught on fire, just before they were about to touch down. The feeling of his heart rising to his throat as the plane spiraled out of control. The passengers' panicked cries as the pilot tried to regain control of the plane. The flash of a stray butter knife as it flew through the air, straight into Bianca's chest. Her gasp, as Nico could only watch in horror, unable to do anything to sad look on Bianca's dying tear streaked face, as she slipped a metal skull ring onto his finger, whispering her final words,"B-buon compleanno fratello. T-ti amo. Im sorry that I am unable to accompany you to the end. Live on, Nico." Her blood on his hands as he tried, desperately, to staunch the steady flow of it. His grieved sobs as her body went limp in her arms. His screams of denial,"NO! BIANCA DON'T LEAVE ME! NO NO NO DON'T GO... Please don't leave me... NO...!"_

 _His last memory before he blacked out was of him hugging her head to his chest, crying his heart out, as her hand slipped out of his grasp._

 _It had been his 11th birthday when he lost everything._

 _He closed his eyes as the flashback ended, a stray tear falling down his cheek. He fell back into his pool of memories as it washed over him, suffocating him, waiting for someone to rescue him from the endless depths of his pain._

No one would... _He thought._ No one understands...

 _Right then, he felt a warm hand clasp onto his pulling him back up..._

 _"Come back, Death Boy..." That smooth voice... It sounded incredibly sad..._

 _That could only be..._

*End flashback

"Will..." A quiet groan was heard from the dark haired boy currently stirring on his lap.

"Death boy?! Oh thank god." The blonde quickly helped Nico to a sitting position. He somehow ended up on his lap, their fingers still intertwined. Still weak, Nico leaned against his shoulder in a daze, unable to control his body from shaking just from the sheer movement of propping himself up.

"W-will, you saved me..." He was unable to control the fresh tears that sprang into his eyes as what he had just gone through hit him like a brick and he buried his face into his neck, sobbing. Will was shocked, he seemed so broken, like a faulty faucet which couldn't control it's water spray. He carefully wrapped his arms around him, rocking him back and forth.

Will knew nothing about this stranger. Heck, he didn't even know his name. But for some reason, he was unable to let him go.

As he felt Death Boy's hand tighten ever so slightly on his shirt, he knew that he felt the same.

At that moment, nothing could have disturbed them.


	3. The Infirmary

After a few moments of Will whispering comforting words in his ear, Nico's sobs reduced to quiet sniffles as he finally calmed down.

After coming back to his senses, he realized a change in their surroundings. He reluctantly lifted his head from Will's shoulder( damn! He was nice to cuddle up against) and glanced around. No longer were they on the "Kiss of Death" but instead, they were sitting on a bed in a small, white, tidy room with a faint smell of antiseptic. Confused, he swiveled his head back to face Will, about to demand what had happened when he realized the compromising position that they were currently in.

He was seated right on Solace's lap, one hand intertwined with his and the other grasping his shirt while Will's other hand was resting on Nico's slim waist. Their faces were so close together that their noses almost touched and he could see different shades of blue in Will's equally wide irises.

"Gah!" Nico let out an undignified squawk as he scrambled off Will, both their faces burning in embarrassment, red enough to put tomatoes to shame.

"Uh-m-I...Y-you... What happened?" He managed to stutter out.

At this, Will's gaze turned serious. " Death Boy! You nearly gave me a heart attack! Halfway down the drop, your hand went limp and your head lolled onto my shoulder. I shook you and everything but you just didn't respond! I panicked then because, WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WHEN SOMEONE PASSES OUT RIDING A ROLLER COASTER?! Im actually amazed that you managed to survive the whole ordeal." Nico looked down guiltily at this. Seeing that he was already embarrassed by the whole situation, Will thought that it would be better to leave out the fact that when the roller coaster banked right, his unconscious body flopped right into Will's, smashing their lips together. Not that Will minded though. Death Boy probably had the softest lips known to mankind. Kiss of Death indeed, he thought distractedly as his heart flipped flopped in his chest. "A-anyways, after the ride, I immediately brought you here, the amusement park's infirmary. You'd been out for about, I daresay, 10 minutes now."

Nico digested this piece of information, feeling as though as he had forgotten something... Or someone. Realization hit him like a brick.

"Oh _Merda_!" He cursed. "Solace! Did you tell my sister where I am?"

Will's eyes grew to the size of dollars. "Crap!" Death Boy's safety had been his top priority and he had been too busy rushing him to the infirmary that in the process, he forgot. To tell. His sister. And also his friends. Where they were. And what was happening. And she must be freaking out right now trying to find her missing brother. Apparently, Nico had arrived to the same conclusion.

"Shit! Phone, phone, phone, phone! Where?! She is going to KILL me!" Will quickly pulled out his phone and handed it to Nico. Grabbing it, he dialed her number at a furious speed. It wasn't long before someone picked up.

Nico sat back down on the bed next to Will and cleared his throat nervously. "Um...hi?"

"NICO DI ANGELO! WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN. FRANK AND I HAVE BEEN SEARCHING THE WHOLE PLACE FOR YOU. HOW DARE YOU LEAVE WITHOUT TELLING US!" Nico winced as he held the phone away from his ear. From the sidelines, Will offered a grin and mouthed"scary much?" It earned him a glare and a middle finger.

"Hazel, calm down. I kinda... Passed out?" Before his sister could continue rambling in worry, he quickly intervened, saying,"Im fine though, Im at the infirmary-" He was hung up on by his sister who was in no doubt rushing to where they were right about now. He sighed and handed the handphone back to Will, who wasted no time texting his location to his friends.

"...Hey Will?"

"Yeah Death boy?"

"...Thanks. For the phone, for...everything."

"Hey, it's alright. I mean, if you were me, you would have done the same things too wouldn't you?"

"No, I would have left you there to die."

"You wound me so." Will grabbed his chest, feigning hurt. Nico smirked at this.

Will's gaze turned serious suddenly. He turned to Nico. "So what happened? I know it wasn't just a regular fainting occurrence. You were crying, you were in so much pain. And I felt useless. Though I am a doctor in training, I was unable to do anything to help..." Will gritted his teeth and looked to the side, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"No,Will...Look at me." Nico didn't know where this courage was coming from but he bravely reached out and placed a hand on Will's clenched fist to get him to turn his head. "It wasn't your fault at all. I was having a flashback. That roller coaster somehow triggered it. It happens often so don't worry too much. Besides," he swallowed nervously," you were the one who pulled me out of it. So, T-thank you." Will's hand covered his and squeezed. Nico wasn't a big fan of skinship but somehow he couldn't shake Will away.

"Do you- Do you want to talk about it?" He asked, almost in a whisper. Nico shut his eyes and shuddered, "No. At least, not yet. But one day, I will, when Im ready. " He opened them again and Will found himself drowning in the dark brown pools of his sad, wise eyes. Suddenly realizing that their hands were still clasped, they cleared their throats and hastily released the other's. _Why does this keep happening?_ Nico thought, blushing furiously.

Trying to break the awkward tension between them, Will suddenly had a thought. "Hey! You said 'one day'. Does this mean that we will see each other again?" He grinned cheekily. "Didn't know that you longed to keep in touch with me."

His face turned even redder. "Oh shut up Solace!" He hadn't thought about that.

Will frowned."Speaking of which, I don't even know your name yet. This won't do if we are going to be friends, Death Boy."

"Friends?! Why would you want to be my friend? Im dark and aloof and-"

"Oh shut it. Though I barely know anything about you, the person I see in front of me has a friendly face." Nico was shocked. "Friendly face" was seldom or rather never used to describe him.

"Fine! Whatever... I suppose that would be okay..." Nico mumbled, scowling. This only made Will's grin grow wider.

"Now tell me your naaaaameeeeee," He whined, pressing closer to Nico and giving him puppy dog eyes.

Nico stared at his sad blue eyes and his pouty pouty lips which were nearing him and he felt as if his heart was about to burst. He opened his mouth, about to tell him but with all the distractions in front of him, something entirely different came out.

"Im gay."

Silence.

"-briel. Yeah, that's it, my name is Gabriel."

Hazel chose that moment to burst through the door, shouting,"NICO DI ANGELO! Are you alright?!"

 _Well, busted_ , he thought as he face palmed.


	4. Will, you take me home?

As Hazel began to pepper Nico with lots of worried questions, he could see Will sniggering at the corner of his eye. He shot a half embarrassed death glare at him, hoping that it would wipe that look off. It didn't.

"As I was saying- Nico are you listening to me?" Hazel frowned. "You do know that this is serious right? You _fainted_ during a roller coaster ride. Was it those flashbacks again? You have to tell us if you aren't feeling well you know."

Nico cut her off while standing up." Look, Im fine- woah!" A sudden wave of exhaustion hit him, making him wobble and would have fallen flat on his face if not for Will who had caught him. Will's arms were strong and easily propped Nico up, and he found himself leaning on him for support.

"It would be best if he got going home now. The effects of him passing out would probably show in the form of fatigue," Will told Hazel.

Hazel frowned." Sorry, but you are Mr...?"

"Oh, just call me Will! Im a friend of Nico's," He replied, winking at said person.

He rolled his eyes and pushed himself off the blonde. "Hazel, I really am fine! We can continue-"

"No." Will and Hazel ordered him in unison.

"Im going to take you home, Brother. Whether you like it or not." Her tone was final.

Will's eyes scanned Nico and he saw the disappointment in his slumped posture. He remembered how eager the boy was to have fun with his sister, even if it meant facing his worst fear. He knew that he was feeling weak but even so, he would rather see his sister happy than ruin the whole day. Especially when she had come all the way from Canada. Having many siblings himself, Will could sympathize. He sighed.

"How about this? I'll take di Angelo here back to his house and you should continue to enjoy the amusement park with your boyfriend." Nico's head shot up and he glanced gratefully at Will: _Thank you for understanding._

Hazel tried to refuse."Oh no, Will, we couldn't possibly trouble you with that-"

"It's fine! It's really no problem at all!" He grinned.

Nico was about to agree when a sudden realization hit him."But, what about your friends?" He momentarily cursed himself for being so selfish and not thinking of others.

Right on cue, a green haired woman and a man with brown hair strolled in hand in hand. Nico recognized them as Lou Ellen and Cecil from the ride.

"Ah, Will! There you are."

"Hey guys! Im sorry 'bout this, but I gotta escort my friend Nico here back to his house. Go ahead without me and enjoy yourselves you lovebirds!" He flashed them a sheepish grin and a thumbs up.

The couple exchanged looks with each other and a smirk formed on their faces. "Oho~~~ could say the same for you blondie!" Cecil whacked Will across the back good naturedly.

"Well then Cecil, It looks like we shouldn't interrupt them anymore! We better get going. Bye Will!" Lou Ellen giggled and waved.

As the couple took off, Will blushed, sighed and turned back to the siblings. "Sorry 'bout them. Anyway, glad we got that settled!"

Hazel looked like she was still unsure about the whole situation. Nico tried to reassure her, saying,"It really will be fine. Don't worry. Besides, where's Frank?"

Hazel flushed, her skin tone darkening to a dark brown as she fanned herself, a habit that showed when she was embarrassed. "Oh um, about that, we may have gone on one ride too many. He's in the toilet doing- uhm you know..."

Nico almost chuckled despite himself. That poor guy. "Then you should go check on him and enjoy yourselves some more after that. Meanwhile, I'll be heading home with Will first, alright?"

She reluctantly gave in. After giving him a hug, handing him his phone and telling him to call her if he needed anything, she finally left to get Frank after thanking Will one last time.

He turned to Nico. "Guess it's just you and me now Death boy! Let's get going. "

* * *

In an old Honda, Nico buckled up next to Will as he revved the engines. After typing in his house address in his GPS, they set off in comfortable silence.

Surprisingly, Nico was the first to break it. He cleared his throat. "Uhm... Sorry to trouble you."

"Hey its no problem at all! Besides, if I had to stick around to see Lou and Cecil lock lips one more time, _frankly_ , I would be the one running for the toilets."

He gave a small smile. "Did you just-"

"Pun? Yes. Oh and we have more important matters to talk about _Gay-briel._ You're not exactly the straightest arrow out there, are you, Nico di Angelo."

It was more of a statement than a question. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing full well that the cat was out of the bag. "...yes."

"Good." He glanced up in surprise at Will. He had half expected him to give that ostracizing glare which most people would but it never came.

They stopped at a red light.

Will took that opportunity to lean down next to Nico's ear and murmured,"For the record, Im about as straight as a rainbow." He pulled back and winked before he resumed driving.

Nico felt his heart stop beating at the same moment when he felt wonderfully glad to be alive. He could still feel his spine tingling in excitement. A red flush adorned his cheeks.

"W-w-w-whatever Solace! Im going to take a nap. Wake me up when we reach." He turned over and tried to hide his full blown smile in his brown aviator jacket as he closed his eyes. Unbeknownst to him, Will saw everything from his reflection and smiled.

The rest of the drive continued in silence as Nico dosed off to the gentle rocking movement of the vehicle, the fatigue finally getting to him. It wasn't long before they reached his apartment, and he was sound asleep.

Will gently shook the young man. "C'mon Nico, we've reached!"

He didn't budge.

Will shook some more.

Still not budging.

Will switched on the radio and sang along(tune-deaf, mind you) loudly to "You are my Sunshine".

He still didn't move.

 _Damn! He could really sleep like the dead, he thought._ He exclaimed dramatically,"You leave me no choice Death Boy!" He got out of the car and went over to Nico's side where he was curled up adorably like a cat with a peaceful look on his face. He chuckled and gently picked him up princess style and carried him to his apartment.

Amazingly, he didn't even stir but instead cuddled up closer to Will to which Will had to restrain himself from losing his shit over the cute dark ball of fluff in his arms. Of course, searching his pockets for the key Hazel had trusted him with proved to be difficult but he managed it without dropping him. He opened the door to reveal the home of Nico di Angelo.

Not stopping to check the house out, he headed straight for the the room at his right and voila! It was definitely Nico's room, with all the walls painted as black as the clothes he was wearing. He set him carefully down on the bed and frowned. Sleeping in that attire was definitely going to be uncomfortable. Hoped Nico didn't mind.

He quickly stripped Nico of his shoes, skinny jeans and jacket, leaving him with his shirt, boxers and socks. Will frowned worriedly. With less clothing, Nico looked even skinnier than before. _He really needs to eat up,_ Will thought, pulling the covers up so that they covered the dark haired man and brushing the soft hair out of his eyes. _But we'll settle that another day._

" Sweet dreams, Death Boy." He whispered softly.

Just as he turned to leave, a small hand grabbed his shirt and a voice murmured,"Thanks..." Then the hand relaxed, a fingertip barely brushing his shirt.

He turned back to see Nico sound asleep, a small smile on his face. He couldn't resist giving him a gentle kiss on the forehead before turning to leave.

"Sleep well, Nico."


	5. Planting the seed of love

Awakened by the shrill ringing of the alarm, Nico woke up from what he thought was the best night of sleep he'd ever gotten. Unlike the other nights, nightmares didn't plague him and his peaceful dream had strangely consisted of lots of warmth and sunshine.

He checked his bedside clock. 6.30 AM. Huh, strange. That was the most he'd ever slept in a while. He got out of bed and stretched... And then he looked down at himself.

Hazel came rushing into the room as a very un-Nico like scream tore from his throat and he doved back under the covers shuddering.

"Nico! What's wrong? Is it the nightmares again?" Hazel cried out.

"My clothes! WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?!"

She frowned. Clothes? She ripped the covers off him ignoring his cry of protest and seeing that he was only wearing a tshirt and his boxers, she gave a small shriek and threw the covers back on him while fanning her face.

"W-well, when we came back you were already fast asleep. So i supposed Will did it for you." Memories hit him like a brick. Will bringing him home, Will coming out to him and the last thing he remembered was falling asleep in Solace's car. Which meant that... OH GOD. Nico groaned and buried his head into his pillow.

Just then, his phone lit up with one new unread message. Grabbing it, he was met with this:

 **Hey there, Will here! You fell asleep in my car yesterday so I carried you home. I also took the liberty of undressing you (btw nice body but we have to fatten you up, doctor's orders) if you're wondering why you happened to be missing some clothes. Hope you didn't mind, but sleeping in clothes that tight isn't good for you anyway. Hope that you're feeling better too! Rest well:):):)**  
Love, Will  
P.S. Your nice sister gave me your number.  
P.P.S If you ignore me I'll just keep spamming your phone. HA. You're not getting away from me that easily di Angelo.

Will? Carried me home? UNDRESSED me?... _Nice body?!_ And Hazel... Nico swiveled around to glare at her."Y-you gave him my number?!"

She grinned unfazed."Yeah! It's rare to see you get along so well with someone your age! He seemed like a good guy so- hey what's wrong?" The sudden realization that the hottest guy in the planet wants to keep in contact with him had caused a blush to diffuse into his cheeks, making him look like a ripe tomato. It reminded her of the time before she and Frank started dating...

A sudden thought occurred to Hazel. "Wait... brother, could it be that you... like him?" She had known about his preferences since a long time ago and he was grateful that she had accepted and supported him for it.

He tried to deny it."Me? And him? Ha you've got to be kidding me! Who would fall in love with that big pair of blue dreamy eyes with hair soft as silk and his sexy acce-" He interrupted himself by slamming his face into the wall.

She squealed,"OOOOH You totally like him! Im so happy for you brother!" She reached over and squeezed him tightly, laughing at his dazed expression from the wall slam.

"I've got it baaaad don't I," He groaned.

"Definitely!Why don't you ask him out?"

"Someone whom I _just_ met?"

"Well, you could try being friends first."

Before he could say anything else, a still sleepy Frank trudged into the room interrupting the two siblings."Hey Nico, isn't it time for you to get to work?"

One glance at the clock and he bolted out of bed.

*at the amusement park*

"5 minutes!"

Nico tried not to fidget as Piper, his cousin Jason's girlfriend, did the last finishing touches of make-up which transformed him into a scary, yet attractive vampire.

"Seriously Nico, what happened today? You never got here this late before!" The make- up artist chastised him jokingly.

"Mmm sorry..." Her words didn't seem to have registered to him as he let out a half- hearted reply. He was still thinking about Hazel's words. Be friends, she had said. But how was he even going to interact properly with him when every brush of their hands make skeletal butterflies rise in his stomach? Lost in thought, Piper's next words pulled him right back into reality.

"So...who's the lucky guy?" She asked nonchalantly, still fixing his attire. He choked and Piper had to symphatetically pat his back a few times before he recovered. "W-what?"

"Oh c'mon Neeks! It is as clear as day that you've got it bad for someone. You're practically zoning out in your own little world and you have a blush on your face which is impossible to hide even under those thick layers of make-up. " She rolled her eyes.

He stuttered, trying to protest but gave up in the end. When it comes to love, no one can beat Piper. Bashfully, he stared down at the ground."Is it... Is it that obvious?"

She chuckled. This kid was too cute for his own good. "Only to me. Now hurry! You have one minute left before the haunted house attraction opens!" She quickly pushed him towards his place. As he took off, her last words echoed in his ears. "Just be yourself and everything will be fine!"

A small smile tugged at the corners of his lips, unnoticed as he ran. He was lucky to have such supportive friends.

Unfortunately, the rest of the day passed without much excitement. Since he took the previous day off, he had to work particular hard that day with little rest.

As he leapt out from his hiding spot and sent another poor couple cowering in fear, he sighed inwardly. He was still distracted from thinking about ways he could text Will and seem casual.

 **Hey there Nico here!** Nope too peppy.

 **Hey, it's Nico and Im totally not interested in asking you out for a date-** No. Just... No.

 **Hey hot stuff! How would you like to come to my house and play tonight~~** ABSOLUTELY NOT. What was he even thinking?!

In the midst of his mental struggle, he failed to see an upcoming couple nearing his hiding spot. As a result, he jumped out at the last minute which added to the effect of the jumpscare.

"RAWRRRR-" A startled shout and a punch effectively(and literally) knocked the words out of his mouth. Nico felt something wet come out of his nostrils as he fell to the ground.

"OW!" He yelled out as pain blossomed in his face. Man, that person sure can pack a punch! Said person stood fretting over him."Oh no! Im so sorry I didn't really mean to- wait. Nico?"

That voice. He knew that voice. As his vision cleared and her tanned face swam into view, he gasped in surprise(and also pain)."R-reyna?"

No wonder the punch hurt like hell. The oncoming hug from her as she tackled him did too. He felt as though his ribs were going to crack from the pressure and strength she was using to squeeze him tightly. Finally realizing that he was choking for air, she quickly let him go.

The guy next to her, an unfamiliar face to Nico, chuckled and gestured towards him. "Hey Reyna! Maybe it would be best to get your friend to the infirmary first before catching up."

Even in the darkness, the trail of blood steadily flowing down Nico's nose was visible. "R-right. Ok then, let's go."

A very dazed Nico was thrown over Reyna's muscular shoulders as they went running through the dark, towards the light known as the infirmary.


End file.
